^TV NOTE: The final 2 games will televised live by the Pac-12 Network.

SETTING THE STAGEEUGENE – Looking ahead to the final weekend of the regular season, the No. 2 University of Oregon softball team (45-7, 18-3) heads to fellow World Series returnee Arizona State (43-9, 14-7) for three games this Thursday-Saturday, May 9-11.

The two teams last met in the World Series last year in Oklahoma City - a 3-1 Sun Devil win - while the teams split their two regular season meetings in 2012.

Later this weekend, the Pac-12 champion Ducks will tune into the 64-team NCAA Tournament announcement on ESPNU, Sunday, May 12, at 7 p.m. Pacific Time.

THE ROAD TO OKLAHOMA CITYNext week, the No. 2 Ducks look ahead to their fourth straight postseason bid and 15th overall since the first NCAA Tournament in 1982.

The previous three years under head coach Mike White, the Ducks made their first three Super Regional trips, and last year’s World Series trip was its second ever and first since 1989.

The following weekend, 16 Super Regional sites will host best-of-three, two-day play on Thursday-Sunday, May 23-26, with every game televised by ESPN networks.

The eight remaining teams then advance to the ESPN-televised Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, May 30-June 5. More information on the NCAA Tournament and WCWS is available at the www.NCAAsports.com website.

RECENT ACTIONAt home last week, the Ducks won their first-ever Pac-12 title with a 5-0 mark at Howe Field. Oregon raised its home record on the season to a perfect 16-0 with a pair of wins vs. Seattle (4-0, 6-4) and its second season sweep of Oregon State (2-1, 11-0 (5), 8-0 (5)) the past three years (and sixth ever).

In the Grand Canyon State, the Sun Devils lost the first two games of last weekend’s series at Tucson to the Wildcats by 10-9 and 6-4 scores, and won the finale, 7-6.

DUCK-SUN DEVIL SERIES NOTES The Ducks have taken single games from the Sun Devils each year under fourth-year head coach Mike White in 2012 (1-2), 2011 (1-2), and 2010 (1-2), while the Sun Devils swept the season series before his arrival the prior two years in 2008 and ’09.

UO last won the season series in 2005 (2-1), and also held the upper hand in four other seasons - 2003 (2-1), ’00 (2-1), ’98 (3-1) and ’89 (4-0). The two teams also tied series in ’99 (2-2) and ’97 (2-2), ’96 (2-2), ’94 (2-2), ’93 (1-1), ’90 (2-2) and ’88 (2-2).

All-time ASU leads the series (52-32) that dates back to 1987.

2013 SEASON REVIEW Sporting best-ever No. 2 and No. 3 rankings this week in the USA Softball and NFCA polls, Oregon (45-7, 18-3) has won all seven of its Pac-12 series this season, and is trailed in the Pac-12 standings by four games by No. 5 ASU (second, 14-7) and No. 11 Washington (second, 14-7).

Adding in games vs. other 2012 NCAA tourney returnees, UO is 23-6 with its victories over Long Beach State, LIU-Brooklyn, Oregon State (three times), Portland State (twice) and San Diego State (twice).

Altogether, Oregon's schedule is one of the nation's toughest and features 32 of its 55 games against NCAA tourney qualifiers from last year (including five Women's College World Series qualifiers).

TOPPING THE PAC-12 & NCAA CHARTSOffensively this week, the Ducks led the ‘Conference of Champions’ in batting (.344) and stolen bases (75). UO ranked second in hits (481), slugging (.558), on-base percentage (.419), total bases (776) and runs (346), and stood third in home runs (73). In pitching categories, the team sported the top marks in the league in opposing batting (.186), ERA (1.58), fewest hits allowed (228), fewest walks allowed (81), saves (7), and strikeouts (391).

The Ducks also own the Pac-12’s single-game high this season for stolen bases best (6) vs. Portland State.

- Duck pitchers are holding opposing hitters to a .187 hitting mark – the team’s third-best since the start of Pac-12 play, and not far from its best marks from 1985 and ’87 (.176 / .179).

- UO pitchers have allowed only one run in the seventh inning all season, and only six runs in the sixth inning. For comparison's sake, the team's other runs allowed by inning totals follow: 1st (9), 2nd (23), 3rd (14), 4th (22), 5th (25).

- In early March, the Ducks smacked +4 homers in four of their six games in the Citrus Classic en route to a 19-1 advantage on the trip. The Ducks tied their school record (6) vs. No. 14 Michigan, and also hit four against both No. 11 LSU and James Madison in five and seven innings, and three vs. Boston College in six innings.

- Four of those Ducks with round-trippers this season are frosh – Lindvall, Costa, Knapp and Shaver - and Knapp’s came in her first collegiate at-bat.

- UO is on record pace for homers per game in 2013 (1.40 avg.) as a team. The Ducks are still ahead of their school-record mark from two years ago (1.22, 2011), while last year’s mark ranks third-best (1.05).

DUCK 2013 TEAM PREVIEWBoasting arguably its deepest roster ever, the World Series returnee Ducks return starters at seven of the eight field positions, and both of its pitchers from last year - senior Jessica Moore and sophomore Karissa Hovinga.

The returning Third-Team All-American from Sutter, Calif., Moore is already the school career record for wins (97) and strikeouts (875), and owns its top-three season strikeout totals (256, 2012; 238, second ‘10; 224, third, ‘11).

Hovinga made three appearances for the Canadian National Team in the World Championships last summer and won both of her starts.

UO sports another All-America returnee in senior Samantha Pappas – the first Duck outfielder to claim All-America honors with her second-team national nod in 2012.

In January, Moore and Pappas were tabbed to the 2013 USA Softball Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List, and Moore was chosen to the national top-25 and top-10 lists since then. A subsequent top-three finalist will be released on May 22, and the winner will be announced on May 28 before the Women’s College World Series.

NEW TO THE FOLDThe Ducks said farewell to four seniors last season, yet welcomed a talented seven-person newcomer class that featured four players on the ESPN.com Top 100 recruit list – third-most nationally.

In the circle, senior pitcher Jessica Moore added to her school record totals for wins (97), strikeouts (875), appearances (168) and innings (862). Her 24th win of the campaign moved her into a tie for fourth on the Duck season charts.

IN THE POLLSThis week, the No. Ducks climbed to new all-time highs with their No. 2 and No. 3 positions in the USA Softball and NFCA polls. One other Pac-12 team ranked top 10 - fellow WCWS returnee and No. 5/5 Arizona State.

Overall, Oregon was one of six league members that ranked top 25 nationally in the USA SB/NFCA polls this week with No. 11/12 Washington, No. 13/13 Stanford, No. 16/15 UCLA and No. 20/17 California, and Arizona also picked up votes.

Complete NCAA RPI ratings are available at the http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/softball/d1/ncaa_womens_softball_rpi URL address.

PICKS OF THE PAC-12The past three weeks, senior oitcher Jessica Moore has picked up USA Softball and NFCA Player of the Week honors.

The Sutter, Calif. native reaped USA SB honors this week after she won all three starts vs. Oregon State and Seattle. She posted nine strikeouts in a start vs. both Seattle and Oregon State – one shy of her season high - and also posted five in her other win vs. the returning NCAA Regional finalist Beavers.

For the week, she led the team in wins (3), innings (17) and starts (3) and stood second in ERA (0.41) and opposing batting average (.098). She also boosted the Duck offense with a homer vs. both Seattle (a two-run first-inning blast) and OSU (sixth-inning solo homer) to give her three on the season and six career-wise. That latter round-tripper in the 2-1 win was her first game-winning RBI of the season and helped her hit .500 for the week (3-for-6) with a team-high 1.500 slugging mark.

She landed her NFCA national weekly honor in late April after her perfect game vs. then-No. 17 Arizona, and won both of her weekend starts vs. the eight-time national champions.

The week before, Moore won her third career Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week honor to tie the Duck record for pitchers career-wise. En route to a 4-0 record that week, the Sutter, Calif., logged her fourth and fifth wins of the season vs. top 15-ranked foes with both of the team’s victories vs. returning Pac-12 champion California and two wins over Utah.

Her eight strikeouts in the 9-3 finale vs. the Bears was two off her season high vs. SDSU (10), and she hit her first homer of the season. In the 5-1 opening win in Berkeley, she walked none and logged six strikeouts en route to her sixth complete game of the year.

Conference-wise that same week, junior catcher Alexa Peterson picked up her second Pac-12 Player of the Week honor, and gave the team its sixth player/pitcher honors so far in 2013.

In the team’s sweep of then-No. 17 Arizona, she vs. hit a career-best pair of homers to tie the team’s game season high in the finale, and her 4 RBI was a career high and one shy of the team season high.

The 2012 All-WCWS Tourney Team pick logged multi-hit efforts in the last two tilts, and reached base twice in the opener with a walk and her 10th double of the season.

In March and early April, freshman pitcher Cheridan Hawkins was honored with three Pac-12 Softball Pitcher of the Week honors.

The first came after she helped lead the Ducks to a 6-0 run in the Citrus Classic in Orlando to open March. Among her four appearances, she logged UO’s second-highest strikeout tally ever (15) in her six-inning shutout of Boston College. That tally was one shy of the school record, and her only hit allowed came with one out remaining (while she only walked one).

In the tourney finale vs. James Madison, the Anderson, Calif., native struck out six, walked one and allowed only two hits vs. the Dukes who picked up votes in last week’s national poll. Against returning NCAA tourney advancer Long Island, she struck out all six batters she faced in her two innings of relief.

She allowed only one earned run on the weekend, which ended a 39.0 streak of innings without allowing an earned run. Among the team’s six games combined, she led in ERA (0.45), wins (2), innings (15.2), strikeouts (29) and opposing batting average (.078).

Three weeks later, she was honored for her eight scoreless innings in relief in the Pac-12-opening 4-3 and 3-2 victories over No. 15 Stanford. In those games, she retired 14 of her 18 combined outs via strikeouts and allowed only two infield hits and no walks or runs. She also bettered her season strikeout-per-seven-innings average (10.80) that ranked sixth nationally the week before with a 16.33 weekend average.

Factoring in her win in her start and 10-3 decision in the finale, she struck out 18 batters in her 11 innings for the three games, walked none, and allowed six hits and three runs for a 1.91 ERA.

The final week of March she claimed two of the team’s three league wins over the Cardinal (10-3) and No. 15 Huskies (4-2).

In the finale over Stanford, she struck out four, walked none and allowed four hits in her five innings. She logged seven strikeouts vs. UW in her second-game win, and allowed only two hits and two walks in her second complete game of the campaign.

That same weekend in the three games vs. Washington and finale vs. Stanford, junior first baseman Kailee Cuico led the Ducks in home runs (3), RBI (6) and slugging (1.077) for the week's four games.

The Carson, Calif., native tallied 3 RBI in the 10-3 finale over No. 15 Stanford - her second-highest total of the year. She logged a pair of two-hit games vs. No. 15 Washington, and multi-RBI games vs. both foes.

Altogether during Mike White’s four years at the helm, UO has staked 15 of its 44 all-time honors since 2010.

Among other players on the current roster, senior outfielders Samantha Pappas (2010, ’12) and Allie Burger (2010) are two- and one-time honorees in prior seasons.

SKED CREDThe Ducks faced another grueling regular season slate in 2013 with 32 of their 55 games this spring against 16 returning tournament qualifiers from last year’s NCAA tournament field.

Among the Ducks’ 35 opponents, UO faced four other WCWS returnees in national runner-up Oklahoma, Arizona State, California and LSU.

The Ducks took on three other Super Regional advancers (Arizona, Michigan, Washington), four more NCAA Regional finalists (Florida, Oregon State, San Diego State, Stanford) and five other NCAA tourney qualifiers (Hawai’i, Long Beach State, Long Island, Portland State and UCLA).

2012 – ANOTHER MEMORABLE SEASONLast spring, Oregon (45-18, 13-9) ended the season ranked a then-best fifth nationally in the USA Softball and NFCA polls – also the third straight season it ended the slate top 15 in both. Oregon opened the campaign tabbed No. 11 and No. 16, respectably, and stood top 25 all season long.

UO staked its second-most wins ever (45) and placed third in the nation’s top softball conference. The Ducks staked back-to-back top-three Pac-12 finishes for the first time since the Pac-12 expanded to eight teams in 1994. Oregon also beat every league rival in the same season for the third time in that stretch.

Among other conference notes, UO won season series vs. both UCLA and Arizona for the second straight season and third and fourth times ever vs. the 11- and eight-time national champions, respectively. Oregon also topped Stanford in the season series for the second straight year and ninth time overall.

Making its 14th-ever regional trip (and hosting for the first time ever), UO went 3-0 for the third straight year under head coach Mike White, thanks to its mid-May wins at Howe Field vs. Portland State (7-3) and BYU (6-4, 4-1). In late May in Austin, #11 seed Oregon registered its first-ever NCAA Super Regional victories en route to a 2-1 mark and upset of #6 seed Texas (L: 3-1; W: 5-4 (8 innings), 10-6).

Under White, Oregon is now 12-7 in the postseason since 2010 thanks to its 6-3 mark in 2012. In comparison, it went 25-21 in its 11 combined prior postseason trips since 1989.

Last year's Duck offense broke school records for RBI (335) and runs (363), and stood second all-time in batting (.308), doubles (90) and total bases (824), and third in hits (520), walks (207), runs per game (5.76), doubles per game (1.43) and RBI per game (5.32). In the circle, the Ducks' 45 wins in a 63-game season ranked second-best all-time behind its 54 victories in in 1989’s 72-game campaign.

HOME SWEET HOWEOwning a perfect 16-0 mark at home in 2013, Oregon swept non-conference doubleheaders vs. New Mexico and Seattle, and three-game series vs. No. 15 Stanford in March, Utah and No. 17 Arizona in early April and Oregon State in May.

The Ducks come off one of their most exciting home slates in 2012, after they went 16-8 in the friendly confines of Howe Field. Oregon hosted its first-ever postseason games and went 3-0 in NCAA Regional play with wins over BYU (twice) and Portland State. In prior months, the Ducks won season series vs. then-No. 14 UCLA (2-1), Boise State (3-0), Portland State (2-0) and Seattle (2-0), and tied season series (1-1) with recent national champions and then-No. 5 Arizona State and then-No. 7 Washington. UO also upset its second top-ranked foe in head coach Mike White’s tenure (California, 1-0), and added another win vs. a top-10 foe and World Series returnee in Missouri.

Sporting a 12-4 home record in 2011, UO ended 15- and 10-game losing streaks to then-No. 12 UCLA and then-No. 10 Stanford in that May, and took each season series for the first time since 2005 and ’07, respectively. In mid-April, UO celebrated its first series sweep of Oregon State since 1994, and third ever. Two weeks before, Oregon’s 2-1 win vs. then-No. 3 ASU in early April marked its seventh top-10 ranked Pac-11 victim at Howe Field the past two years. Earlier this season, UO went 4-0 in non-conference action vs. Weber State (6-1, 6-2) and Utah State (11-3, 9-0).

In 2010, the Ducks went 14-5 in the friendly confines after they rattled off a 12-0 start, then staked at least one win in every home series against the nation's top conference. Oregon's perfect early season run included its first-ever sweep of then-No. 13 Cal in April. The following weekend, UO beat its first top-ranked team, then-No. 1 Washington, since 2004, with its 4-0 victory against the returning national player of the year Danielle Lawrie. Oregon’s other league home victories came vs. then-No. 3 Arizona (2-1) in nine innings when Neena Bryant hit a two-run shot off another of the nation’s top pitchers, Kenzie Fowler.

NATIONAL / REGION / PAC-12 HONOR ROLLLast May, Oregon was one of five programs nationally (and three in the Pac-12 with ASU and UCLA) that placed all six of its NFCA All-Region nominees on first and second teams, and senior Samantha Pappas and Jessica Moore went on to score second- and third-team All-America honors. UO now has 10 all-time All-America honors altogether, and Pappas was the first Duck outfield recipient, while Moore was the fourth Oregon pitcher.

Altogether during third-year head coach Mike White’s tenure, the Ducks have claimed seven of their 19 first-team all-time selections (and six of its 25 second-team choices) in the honor dating back to 1988. Oregon’s previous All-Region selection record (5) came in ’89, the year it advanced to the Women’s College World Series. That team featured four first-team and one second-team selections.

Among conference honors, 11 players were honored to various All-Pac-12 teams in 2012. All-time for Oregon, UO has racked up 21 first-team honors and 37 second-team selections in the award based on a vote by league head coaches.

A list of current Ducks’ all-time All-Region and All-Pac-12 honors follows:

TOP DUCK PROFILEFourth-year head coach Mike White is widely regarded as one of finest-ever U.S. National Team players and pitching mentors. The 2009 International Softball Congress (ISC) Hall of Fame selection, also is well-known in the area as an integral part of two of Oregon’s greatest teams in 2003 and ‘04 and one of the West Coast’s top prep coaches.

Sporting a program-best 73.0 winning percentage as its head coach, White has compiled a 168-62 mark already after leading the Ducks to its second-ever World Series trip, and its first-ever Super Regional trips the last three seasons.

In 2011, UO tied for third in the final conference standings (42-16, 11-10) after it won league series against then-returning national champion and No. 12 UCLA (2-1), No. 10 Stanford (2-1), at then-returning national runner-up and No. 9 Arizona (2-1), and vs. Oregon State (3-0). UO’s Civil War sweep of OSU was its third ever and first since 1994, and it tied its largest winning margin in the Duck-Husky series with its 8-0 win at then-No. 6 Washington.

The Ducks went 3-0 in the NCAA Regional at State College, Pa., with wins over Albany (3-1), Fordham (2-0) and Penn State (3-1), then advanced to the Super Regional before it fell to eventual NCAA runner-up Florida in Ganesville.

In his first year at the helm, Oregon went 36-21 in 2010 – nearly reverse the previous year’s mark (16-34) – and staked its most Pac-10 wins (8) since its 10 in 2003 and ’04. Oregon beat five different Pac-10 teams – No. 1 Washington, No. 3 Arizona, No. 9 Arizona State, No. 13 California (3 times and its first-ever sweep in the series) and OSU (2) – for the first time since topping all seven in ’04.

The Ducks opened the postseason by upsetting then-No. 7 ranked / No. 8 seeded Georgia Tech twice in Atlanta in the regional, and ultimately ended the year ranked 14th nationally in both polls.

His recent Duck success led to an invite to join the U.S. National Team coaching staff as an assistant coach in the summer of '12. Team USA went 9-1 in the ISC Women's World Championship against the world's best, en route to a silver medal before narrowly losing to Japan, 2-1, in the 10-inning finale.

In his prior Duck stint as an assistant coach, the Ducks lowered their ERA from 3.01 the season prior to his arrival to 2.12 and 1.68, respectively, while its strikeout totals of 347 and 394 – then the best two in school history – far outdistanced its 223 total from 2002.

His first-year pupils included then-freshman Amy Harris who set a single-season strikeout record (180) his first season, while senior Andrea Vidlund led the nation in saves and set a Pac-10 record (11). The next season, newcomer Ani Nyhus was an All-Pac-10 First Team and NCAA Regional All-Tournament choice and two-time conference pitcher of the week. The junior college transfer notched 20 wins (25-12), rewrote the program’s single-season strikeout record (202) and pitched a no-hitter vs. Utah State. Catcher Jenn Poore was also an All-American and All-Pac-10 Second Team honoree in ’04 and drafted into the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league.

Since then, he continued to live in Eugene with his family and remained active as an assistant coach for one of the nation’s top programs at Marist High School during the 2008-09 seasons. The program ended 2009 ranked 22nd nationally by USA Today and won consecutive 4A state titles after identical 29-1 seasons. He also coached the Northwest Thunder and Northwest Bullets Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA) youth club teams and served as a private instructor for various elite players of all levels.

As a player, the New Zealand native became a U.S. citizen in 1994 and helped the two national teams claim two gold medals, two silver medals and one bronze in his four trips with New Zealand and two with the United States. In 2000, he helped guide the USA to a bronze medal in the World Championships when he went 2-0 with a 0.89 ERA and 19 strikeouts. In 1999, the U.S. won the silver medal at the Pan Am Games, and he was 3-2 with a 0.68 ERA and 35 strikeouts. He also played on three silver medal Pan-American Games teams in 1995, 1999 and 2003.

The multiple Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA) MVP pitcher and All-American also helped lead teams to five ASA national titles and five ISC World Club Championships, and was the 2002 ASA Player of the Year.

MORE LOVE FOR THE DUCK STAFFOregon’s highly-regarded staff also includes two other talented coaches that sport equally impressive playing resumes.

White first shared the field with the U.S. National Team as a teammate to third-year assistant coach Blake Miller – a 15-year pro-player, and a member of U.S. National Teams since 2001. As a collegiate coach the past 12 years, Miller has worked with two All-Americans and nine Academic All-Americans, and guided four teams to regional bids and one Junior College World Series trip. His resume includes stops as a head coach at Texas A&M-Kingsville the past three seasons and at Darton College (2006-07) and as an assistant coach at East Tennessee State (2005), Missouri Western State (2004) and Mesa State (2001-03).

The Ducks welcomed another of the nation’s most respected coaches and players in first-year assistant coach Chelsea Spencer. A four-year starter for California, the All-America shortstop led the team to a Pac-12 and NCAA title, two more NCAA runner-up finishes and a fourth World Series bid. Afterwards, she was a professional player for six seasons, and four-time All-NPF selection. Her lengthy resume also includes four seasons as the Chabot Community College Head Coach (2006-10) and two seasons as a Michigan State assistant coach (2011-12).

THE ‘CONFERENCE OF CHAMPIONS’The Pac-12’s moniker is validated by the fact the eight Pac-12 schools have combined to win 24 of the 31 softball NCAA national championships, including six of the last seven by four different teams. Last year, three of the eight World Series qualifiers were from the Pac-12 (#1 seed California, #3 seed Arizona State and #11 seed Oregon); two more teams advanced to the Super Regional (#13 Arizona, #16 Washington); two others were NCAA Regional Finalists (Oregon State, Stanford), and another made the postseason (UCLA).

In recent years under fourth-year head coach Mike White, UO has scored back to back third-place Pac-12 finishes in 2012 and ’11 after it was tabbed seventh in the league preseason polls. The Ducks also bettered their preseason league position (seventh) in his first season when the team placed sixth in 2010.